


Paint The Stars (In Your Eyes)

by SherlockianSyndromes



Series: Atlantis Apothecary & Pegasus Cafe [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Divination, F/M, M/M, Paganism, new age shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 22:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14459013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/pseuds/SherlockianSyndromes
Summary: Evan is working on a special gift for Atlantis Apothecary's most requested tarot reader, Ronon Dex, and it needs to beperfect.





	Paint The Stars (In Your Eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for a prompt fill on the LJ community [comment_fic](https://comment-fic.livejournal.com/907074.html). The prompt was _Stargate Atlantis, Evan Lorne/Ronon Dex, Paint My Love (Michael Learns to Rock)_.

Evan leaned over the miniature-sized watercolor portrait taped to his masonite support panel.

The tiny painting was  _mostly_ finished.

Evan knew he was a perfectionist when it came to most things - baking bread, making a good cup of coffee, icing sugar cookies. Painting was also on that list, but this particular piece had to be _more_ than perfect.

It was, after all, a portrait of Ronan. And not just any random sketch, but a watercolor painting of a tarot card. The same tarot card that Evan had drawn from Ronon’s deck the day they kissed for the first time.

Well, the only time. Since then, they’d awkwardly danced around one another, sharing smiles and cups of coffee, lingering glances and tarrying touches.

Evan had never been a fan of wordy declarations. He preferred _showing_ his love. And what better way to show Ronon how deep his feelings went than with a personalized tarot card and portrait? Also _cookies_. Who could turn down a sugar cookie?

Evan straightened up, put his paintbrush aside, and stretched his arms above his head. He heard a few bones pop and creak from stiffness, and decided he should probably get up from his chair too. He needed a refill on his coffee anyway.

As he walked through the door that led into the Apothecary’s common room, Aiden came tearing around the counter and pushed past Evan.

Evan leaned back into the kitchen. “Forget something?”

Aiden scampered back to the kitchen’s small pantry for dry goods. He said something, but Evan couldn’t quite hear him.

“I can’t hear you. I’m getting more coffee.”

Evan walked back out and went over to the espresso machine to brew himself a shot. He then busied himself at the small sink, washing out his mug.

“Mr. Lorne.”

The voice coming from behind Evan definitely didn’t belong to Chuck. He turned and saw Peter sitting on the stool by the cash register.

“Since when did you start working for Pegasus Cafe?”

Peter smirked. “Since Chuck wanted to go to that technopagan class and told me you were severely preoccupied.”

Evan couldn’t fault Chuck for that. He _had_ been preoccupied earlier that afternoon, first with baking sugar cookies, and then trying to finish that tarot card for Ronon.

“I assume you know how to make a cup of coffee?”

Peter’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He twitched, but didn’t reach for it. Evan could tell that not engaging with an electronic device was killing the man.

“You can look at your phone, Peter. Just don’t ignore customers. And if you need help, come get me.”

As Peter scrambled for his phone, Evan turned back and continued making his coffee. He put a few ice cubes in his mug and poured the shot of espresso over it, topping it with a couple of glugs of water from the filtered water jug they kept in the fridge. He mixed it with a wooden stirring stick and glanced up to see Peter staring at him incredulously.

“Do _you_ know how to make a cup of coffee?”

Evan grinned. “What can I say? I like my Americanos fast and dirty.”

“Anything else?”

The retort didn’t come from Peter. It came from Ronon, who was walking into the common area right as the words left Evan’s mouth.

“W-what?” Evan stammered.

Ronon leaned on the counter. “Anything else that you like fast and dirty?”

Evan felt his face turning red, but tried to play it cool and took a sip of his coffee. A good, sexy comeback wasn’t forthcoming, so instead Evan shrugged in a very unsexy fashion.

Ronon laughed. ‘I’m just messing with you. What are you doing later? I’m scheduled for readings right now, but I should be done at around 8.”

Evan shrugged again, trying to seem nonchalant. “Nothing really. You want to hang out after your shift?” Internally, he was cringing at himself. _Hang out?_

Ronon nodded and smiled. “Sure.”

“And make sure he doesn’t burn the place down,” Evan said, gesturing at Peter.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Oh ye, of little faith.”

Evan spun on his heels and went back into the kitchen. The door swung shut behind him and he took a deep breath. He had to put the finishing touches on the painting and cut it out. Maybe frame it. Did he have a frame? And the cookies needed to come out of the fridge soon so the frosting could soften.

Maybe Evan didn’t need more coffee.

Aiden came flying out of the pantry with his jacket.

“Can’t talk boss, late for my date with Jennifer.”

Evan smiled. At least someone around here was lucky in love.

*

A few hours passed. Evan finally stopped working on the portrait and decided it was as close to perfect as it was going to get. He looked over at his watercolor palette filled with varying shades of brown, and back at Ronon’s dreadlocks painted on the card. He felt that, in the end, he had captured Ronon’s likeness well. Before he cut out the card from the masking tape surrounding it, he added a final touch at the bottom.

Evan carefully swept out a few words with his paintbrush: _18 - The Star_.

He began cutting the card free from its masking tape prison with his crafting knife. When he was about halfway done, Peter appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Mr. Lorne -”

Evan kept moving his knife along. “Peter, please just call me Evan.”

Peter huffed in response. “Evan, I’ve closed up, but Dr. McKay and that Sheppard fellow are still here and they want coffee. The good doctor is very insistent.”

“Of course he is.” Evan cut away at the final corner, and lifted the portrait away. He placed it aside and turned toward Peter. “Tell them if they wait a few minutes, they can have cookies too.”

Peter shook his head. “You’re too nice to them.”

Evan shrugged, walking over toward the fridge to get the platter of sugar cookies. “Rodney likes my coffee and John seems like a nice enough guy. Makes Rodney act nicer, anyway. And I made extra cookies.”

He lifted the platter up to Peter’s face. “Want one?”

Peter looked at the cookies with awe. Each one was frosted with intricate designs, looking like extra colorful henna tattoos.

“I think these are too pretty to eat,” Peter said.

“Is that a no?” Evan asked.

Peter nodded. “Good night, Evan.”

“Good night, Peter.”

Peter left Evan alone then, and Evan looked up at the clock. It was 8 o’clock now, which means Ronon was done with tarot appointments. And now they could _hang out_.

Evan put the platter of cookies back down and ran over to the hand washing station. He checked his hair in the mirror and made sure he looked presentable. He also looked himself in the eye and took a deep breath.

“It’s okay. He likes you. It’ll be fine.” Evan nodded at his reflection, then scurried back to the front of the kitchen to scoop up both the cookies and his other present for Ronon.

When Evan walked out, he saw John and Rodney flopped onto one of the couches, sitting pretty close to one another. Ronon sat on the couch opposite them, spread out like a cat and smiling dreamily.

Evan set down the platter of cookies. “Coffee orders, gentleman?”

“Usual,” Rodney barked.

John shifted on the couch so his back was facing Rodney. “Tea. Earl grey.”

Rodney mumbled, “Hot?”

John turned back toward him and Evan heard John utter something about Star Trek.

Evan cleared his throat. “Ronon?”

“Americano. Fast and dirty.” Ronon’s eyes were gleaming.

It took all of Evan’s strength not to melt into a puddle that very second. Instead, he started brewing espresso and heating water for John’s tea.

Once everything was ready, Evan set all the drinks in front of him next to the sugar cookies. John, Rodney, and Ronon were still chatting away.

“Okay, this bar is now closed. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. And by that I mean come get your own drinks.”

Everyone sauntered up to the counter, taking sips of their drinks and nodding in approval. John’s eye caught the tray of cookies and he gasped audibly.

“No way can we eat these. How long did it take you to decorate them?”

Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. An hour?”

Rodney snatched up a cookie and ate half of it in one bite.

“These are good,” Rodney mumbled, a few crumbs falling from his mouth.

John followed suit, but his bite was a bit more on the delicate side. “Ugh, Lorne. Why do you do this to me?”

Evan caught Rodney sneering in his general direction.

“John, come on, I want to talk more about the class,” Rodney tugged lightly at John’s sleeve and walked back over toward the couches in the center of the common room. John smiled and gestured with his mug of tea. “Thanks again.”

Which left Ronon, leaning with his back up against the counter and sipping at his Americano. Evan hopped up and over the counter and sat down, dangling his legs on the front side. He nudged Ronon with his shoulder.

“Cookie?”

“Is that my new nickname?” Ronon chuckled and took another sip of coffee.

Evan blushed. Again. “No. Do you want a cookie?”

Ronon hopped up and sat next to Evan on the counter. “Sure. Pass them over.”

Evan picked up the tray and handed it to Ronon, who sat for a few minutes just staring at the cookies.

Evan leaned toward him and whispered, “They won’t bite. I promise.”

Ronon shook his head. “No, these are just really beautiful, Evan.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that it made Evan’s heart stutter in his chest. Finally, Ronon picked up a cookie and ate it. And ate another one. And another. And one more for good measure. After that, he handed to tray back to Evan.

“It’s a good thing I work out. You trying to fatten me up?” Ronon winked at him and finished off his coffee.

Evan took a deep breath. “Nope. Also, I have something else for you.” The words came rushing out of him in a single gasp of air.

Ronon raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Evan nodded. “Yeah.”

He reached behind him and picked up the thick piece of paper. Evan held it close to his chest, before turning it toward Ronan to show it to him.

The picture itself was rather simple. A likeness of Ronon Dex, staring up at the night sky, one star shining brighter than the rest. Near the bottom, Evan had painted the sky reflecting off of a body of water.

Ronon’s eyes were unreadable. He carefully plucked the card out of the Evan’s hand and stared at it in silence. Evan’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he felt adrenaline pumping like fire through his veins.

“Do you...like it?” Evan asked tentatively.

“The Star. The card you drew when...” Ronan’s voice drifted away.

“Yeah. I wanted to...to paint you, to show you how I see you. Like a star. Always shining.” Evan let the words tumble out, unsure if he was making any sense, but unable to stop himself from speaking.

Ronon set the small painting off to the side, his gaze almost reverent, then turned to look at Evan.

“Thank you,” Ronon whispered.

Evan couldn’t take it anymore. “No, thank you.”

He leaned in and kissed Ronon.

Evan felt Ronon smile against his lips before he surged forward, his hands cupping Evan’s face and pulling him closer. Evan shifted his body up against Ronon, moved his leg up over Ronon’s legs until he was basically sitting in Ronon’s lap. Evan let his hand gently caress Ronon’s dreadlocks and then slip to the nape of his neck. Ronon held Evan’s body tight against his and continued to kiss Evan hungrily. Evan tasted bitter coffee and sugary brightness.

Ronon finally pulled back. They were both gasping for air.

“Reading room?” Ronon asked, his voice rough. He gestured toward the back room where the divinators took their appointments.

Evan nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”

They climbed off of the counter, and Evan couldn’t help but kiss Ronon again as they stumbled toward the back of the store, both of them giggling and high with giddiness and desire. Ronon picked Evan up off the ground and Evan instinctively wrapped his legs around Ronon’s waist.

Before the curtain to the reading room shut the world away, Evan saw John and Rodney standing at the counter. John held a heart-shaped cookie out to Rodney and kissed him briefly on the cheek before walking toward the store’s exit.

Magic really made their little world go round.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
